Metal leaf on moldings



. R- MARCHER. x Enameling Mouldings.

" 7- 3 n Patented May 10,1 5

N. PETERS. Piwm-Lilhu m her. washin wn. D. C.

UNITE ll FFIOE.

ROBERT MARGHER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR LAYING METAL LEAF ON MOLDINGS, &c.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 23,930, dated May 10, 1859-.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT MAnoi-inn, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Method of Laying Gold and Silver Leaf on Moldings and other Surfaces; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure 1, is a plan of the machinery; Fig. 2, a cross vertical section taken at the line A, a of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3, a longitudinal vertical section.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures. Y

The only mode of gilding or silvering moldings and other surfaces with gold and silver leaf, so far as I am informed, is to take up the leaf metal with a fiat brush called a tip and lay it gently on the prepared surface to be coated which surface is previously wet with alcohol and water, an operation which is tedious, and requires skill and patience, and which is otherwise attended with serious difiiculty particularly with concave moldings in which case a seam must be made in themiddle of the concavity by laying the leaf metal on each half and joined in the middle of the concavity, for if laid on the whole width of the concavity and that if the leaf be rolled up on a roller placed with its axis parallel with the axis of the molding, and capable of moving across the molding, that the leaf metal will. be drawn gradually from the roller and laid smoothly in the concavity or on any other surface which is parallel with the axis of the roller or nearly so; and with a view to a clear presentation of the characteristic features of my said invention I will describe "the construction of the apparatus employed,

and the various modifications thereof which I have contemplated to illustrate the mode of operation.

In the accompanying drawings (a) represents a suitable bed, table or bench provided with dogs or other suitable means for securing the molding (b) or other article, the

surface of which is to be gilded or silvered.

by a slide and clamp screw, and a swivel (e) to vary the inclination of the rails to be presently described. But it will be obvious that this may be done by other and equivalent means and that instead'of adjusting and moving the carriage with the rails, &c., that the molding to be gilded or silvered may be placed on a carriage and moved under the apparatus, the inclination of the rails being separately adjustable. on

one side of the carriage there is a table (f) on which the book (g) of leaf metal is placed and held at the upper edge by means of pins or other suitable means. This table is placed between two round or other formed rails (it, it) which cross the carriage at right angles as represented, and which are slightly inclined to a horizontal plane, the elevated end being at the back edge of the book of leaf metal. The rails are adapted to slide inthe carriage and at right angles to the line of motion of the said carriage, and at the back end they are connected with a hand lever to enable the workman to move them as will be presently described. There is a cylindrical roller (j) which may be grooved in the direction of its circumference in two places to fit on the rails and to be guided thereby as it rolls over the book and above the surface to be gilded, &c.

This roller is grooved longitudinally as represented in the cross section and the groove filled to the surface with tallow or other equivalent material which, when brought in contact with the leaf metal, will cause it to adhere sufficiently to be taken up by it.

The table on which the book is placed should be a little more inclined than the rails that the roller may rest on the book in' taking and rolling up the leaf and then pass onto the rails. The inclination of the rails should be just sufficient for the cylindrical roller to roll down by force of gravity, and when it reaches the front it is stopped by two stops (it, is) on the rails and these stops carry two levers (Z, Z) connected by a hand rod (m) by which the workman forces down the opposite ends of the said levers to confine the roller and hold it in place while wit-h the other hand he turns the said roller to slightly unwind the leaf of metal, as will be presently described.

To the inside of the front edge of the front rail of the carriage is secured an adjustable bar rabbeted as represented at (n) in a line parallel with and at a very short distance from the edge of the molding. I prefer to make the bottom surface of this rabbet inclining upward toward the front edge of the molding, the elevation of which should be slightly above the bottom surface of the rabbet.

The mode of operation is as follows, viz: The surface of the molding having been properly prepared and wetted with alcohol and water, and adjusted, the workman places the roller at the upper end of the rails on the table against the pins, taking care .to place the streak of tallow in contact with the leaf metal and near the back edge thereof and to press it down gently that the leaf may adhere, and being started it will run down rolling up the leaf of metal. When it gets to the bottom of the inclined rails the workman operates the levers (Z, Z) which secure it in place, and then with one hand he turns the roller to unwind the leaf of metal until the edge of it comes in contact with the bottom of the rabbet which acts as a gage. The levers (Z, Z) are then depressed to liberate the roller, and the lever (a) is operated to push it back a short distance, or until the leaf of metal is brought in contact with that por tion of the wet surface of the molding which is nearest the gage, and so soon as it comes in contact with the liquid on the surface capillary attraction takes place by which it is drawn down to the surface of the molding with a force sufficient to cause the roller to run up the rails and unwind the leaf which is thus laid smoothly on the surface what ever may be the depressions and elevations. The covering leaf of paper is then taken ofi from the book to expose the next leaf of metal, the apparatus is shifted by the carria e to a distance equal to the length of one leaf of metal and the operation repeated. In this way I am enabled to lay gold and silver leaf on moldings and other surfaces with more expedition, accuracy, and smoothness, and less expense than by any other known plan, while at the same time I am enabled to lay unbroken sheets across hollow moldings instead of making a break in the middle of the concavity as heretofore. And although I prefer to place the rails at an in? clination. as above described, to resist in part the force of capillary attraction and thereby insure the laying of the leaf metal in the concavities which could not be effected without danger of breaking the leaf metal if the roller were permitted to travel too fast, nevertheless I do not wish to be understoodas limiting my claim of invention to the placing of the rails at an inclination as the motion of the roller may be retarded by other and equivalent means. And although I claim as of my discovery and invention operating the roller for unwinding and laying leaf metal on surfaces by the force of capillary attraction as the safest, and most perfeet, as well as automatic, means of performing this delicate and'heretofore artistic operation, I desire to secure as part of my said invention the performing of this operation by means of the roller irrespective of the force by which the roller is impelled, and irrespective of the mechanical means described, as I am aware that the roller may be moved by hand on the rails to unwind and lay the leaf metal on the surface to be covered, and that this can be done by the workman taking hold of one or both ends, or by giving to the rails when they are used a sufficient range of motion across the molding by the hand lever or other equivalent means. And I am also aware, and therefore suggest it as one 'of the modes in which I have contemplated the application of this part of my invention, that the roller may be employed wholly by hand if the workman be skillful and careful to manipulate it. But either of these modes of application of one part of my said invention require skill and attention on the part of the operator, and are more liable to accident than when the whole operation is performed according to the several parts of my invention. And although I have described the use of rails for sustaining and guiding the roller in passing over the moldlng or other surface in laying the leaf metal I do not wish to limit myself to the use of such rails as other and equivalent means may be employed for this purpose, as for instance the roller instead of rolling on the rails may be mounted in pendulous arms so as to turn freely as the pendulous arms or frame swings over the book of leaf metal to roll or wind up a leaf and above the molding or other surface to lay the leaf properly on such surface. And the roller instead of being cylindrical may be of other form, such as polygonal, so long as it is free to turn as it is carried over such surface.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The method substantially as described of laying leaf metal on moldings and other surfaces by means of a roller as set forth.

2. And I also claim as my invention and discovery operating the roller in laying leaf 4. And finally I claim the combination of 10 metal on surfaces by the force of capillary the roller, and rails, or equivalent gulde attraction substantially as described. Ways, with the rabbet, or equivalent gage,

3. And I also claim the combination of the substantially as described and for the pur- 5 rails, the table for holding the book of leaf pose set forth.

metal, and the means for holding the article ROBERT MARCHER. to be. gilded 0r silvered, or the equivalents of Witnesses: the said elements in combination with the PETER VAN ANTWERP,

roller as set forth. THOMAS VAN ANTWERP. 

